The Caregiver Cup Podcast

Questions Every Caregiver Should Ask to Find Clarity and Focus

• Cathy VandenHeuvel • Episode 247

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Understanding the importance of self-reflection is crucial for caregivers navigating their responsibilities. In this episode, we discuss six essential questions that can help caregivers prioritize self-care, manage stress, and create effective contingency plans while fostering gratitude.

• The necessity of prioritizing self-care for overall well-being
• Being realistic about what responsibilities one can manage effectively
• Understanding underlying challenges and addressing them
• Finding effective strategies for stress management
• Importance of having a backup plan for caregiving situations
• Practicing gratitude as a powerful tool to stay grounded

Your feedback not only helps but also inspires others who are navigating this same journey. Get all the questions in this week's blog.

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Speaker 1:

Well, hello, my friend, and welcome to another episode of the Caregiver Cup podcast. It's Kathy here, sitting here in a cold, cold Wisconsin winter day. I have my cup of coffee and I'm gripping it with both of my hands to keep my hands warm. Sure, my home is warm, but I can still feel the chill in the air. I know winter in the northern parts of America are really cold. I can't even imagine living in Canada or any northern country. It's got to be cold too. But I'm going to warm you up with some really good content today and really talk about these questions that you want to ask yourself.

Speaker 1:

As caregivers and I know as caregivers we know how quickly life can shift and our loved one's needs change, our responsibilities grow and, before we know it, when we're just going, going going, we're running on empty. That's why it's so important to pause, to reflect and to ask ourselves the right questions to make sure we're running on empty. That's why it's so important to pause, to reflect and to ask ourselves the right questions to make sure we're showing up as our best selves, not just for our loved ones, but also for ourselves. With it being 2025, and I still can't believe it and a brand new year. What better time to start this practice? These questions you can. I think you can. You and I can revisit every three months or every so often when our caregiving seasons change. And you ask me maybe you're thinking why do I need to stop and reflect and ask myself questions? Well, because life as a caregiver is dynamic, and what I mean by that it's not one size fits all. Not one season is the same as the other season. But by checking in regularly we can reassess where we're at, adjust our focus and ensure we're prioritizing our well-being and the care we're providing. So this practice really has been a game changer for me.

Speaker 1:

Every few months, usually at the start of a new season, I carve out time to ask myself these same questions. It's my way of resetting, refocusing and checking in with what's working and what isn't working. Whether it's journaling over a cup of coffee you know I like mine really, really hot or taking a quiet time during a walk with my fur babies, eddie and Lucy, these reflections can keep me grounded and remind me that caregiving is a journey, not a sprint. I just recently did this when Dennis's cancer came back, and I'm going to be doing it again after we find out when his transplant process is going to start, and so it's just a way to go ahead and reset. So, no matter where you're at in your caregiving journey whether you're starting out or you've been doing it for years this episode is designed to help you reset and find clarity. So I want you to grab your favorite notebook and pen or, if you like to take notes on your phone app or on the computer, do that, and we're going to dive into these questions together. Now, if you're listening to this and you're driving or you don't have an opportunity to take notes, just remember this episode is going to be out here forever, so you can go back and revisit it anytime.

Speaker 1:

So I have, I believe, six questions that I want to go through, and I'm going to elaborate on each one, and the first one is I bet you can guess what it is. Let's start out with the most important question, and that is your self-care and how you're prioritizing your self-care. I'm putting this one first, and I've always put this one first. After about a year into my caregiving, realizing that if I didn't take care of myself, nothing is going to go right. Without maintaining your well-being, it's nearly impossible to show up as a caregiver you want to be. I get it, though this question can feel uncomfortable. It's often the one we want to skip because our caregiver responsibilities seem more urgent. But let me tell you this is far from the truth. As you know it, when you neglect yourself, it affects everything. It affects your energy, your patience, your health and even the care you provide. You're not showing up as your best self. So take a deep breath, and I want you to be honest with yourself as you reflect on these questions and just as you're taking your notes, know that at the end of the episode, I'll share where I have all of these questions written on my blog. So if you're trying to frantically take notes on the questions, I'll have them for you and you'll be able to go ahead and see them again.

Speaker 1:

So, in the category of prioritizing yourself, maybe you want to ask yourself some deeper questions. Am I prioritizing my physical health, my emotional health and my mental well-being, remember and you may even want to put your social well-being on there too, because there's four components of well-being, and so or your spiritual well-being as well? Maybe there's five, and so you might want to ask yourself how are you prioritizing all of these? When was the last time I did something that truly recharged me. That's a really powerful question. When was the last time you did that? Do I feel resetted and nourished, or am I constantly running on empty? You know how it feels when you're running on empty. Your body feels different, your mood and your whole. You know you might be snappier I don't know if that's even a word, but you're edgy, that kind of thing. So, and what's one small thing I could do for myself today to feel better? I spend a lot of time thinking about these. I might read these and then go for a walk and really thinking about how can I better prioritize myself? When's the last time I felt rested? You know that kind of thing. How can I recharge? So I would do these. So if you're struggling to answer these questions, know first of all that it's normal.

Speaker 1:

Many caregivers feel stuck or unsure of how to make themselves a priority when so much is on our plate. But here's the truth. You don't have to figure this out alone. You can really look into different ways and I'm here to help you. I've got two ways. Right off the top of my head here, off the top of my microphone here I have an episode that I did way back in my first year on the Caregiver Cup podcast, I interviewed Amy, who is one of my accountability partners, and she does a different business, but she shares insights on the importance of putting yourself first and how to make it a reality, even in the busiest episodes. So if you go back to episode 18, and you look for that podcast, you're going to be able to find it. It's an interview with Amy on self-care.

Speaker 1:

Another way that I can help, too, is I do these one-hour breakout sessions in my coaching programs, and this is a personalized coaching program, a session designed to help you break through your struggles, gain clarity and create a realistic plan and prioritize your well-being. We meet for an hour, but I give you some things to do before we meet and then I follow up with you after. So just know that I have one for free. I have one that you could pay for. If you go out to kathielvancom forward slash work with me, you'll see the caregiver breakout session as well.

Speaker 1:

Another one, too, is another thing that you want to think about is feeling stuck, overwhelmed or frustrating is is this in your caregiving journey and this session, caregiving journey and this session? If we went ahead and did a breakout session. We would want to go ahead and move into what's making you feel stuck, what's making you feel overwhelmed, and if I looked at it from the outside, in what are you doing that we could go ahead and shift and change, and then we would come up with a list and then we would work on one thing at a time. So just know that I'm here for you. So, in this question, one which is how am I prioritizing my well-being?

Speaker 1:

To kind of conclude this question, I want to say your well-being matters, and it starts with asking yourself these tough questions, but necessary questions, and you want to go ahead and make self-care your priority, because you're worth it, and so is the care that you're providing to your loved one. And, to be honest with you, if you're not taking care of yourself, everything's going to be harder. And so that's the first one taking care of yourself, everything's going to be harder. And so that's the first one. The second one question I want to get into is about being realistic about what can you handle. And so let's dive into the second question, which is all about being realistic and smart in your caregiving journey. This one is tough because, as a caregiver.

Speaker 1:

We often step into this role with a giving heart and I'm quoting this and I think I can do it all mentality, and it's natural to want to give your loved one everything they need. But trying to do it all can quickly lead to burnout, resentment and frustration. And when you ever feel one of these burnout, resentment or frustration, I want to ask you are you doing too much? Are you trying to do it all? Because caregiving isn't about being a superhero, it's about being strategic and sustainable. This question of am I being realistic about what I can handle will take you to this honest side and look at your responsibilities. So the question is am I trying to do everything myself or am I allowing others to help? I know for me, others to help. I know for me, having other people help is very, very hard, but eventually you know you're going to have to let go of some of the reins and let people help you.

Speaker 1:

Another thing you could ask in this category is have I set realistic expectations for what I can manage, both physically and emotionally? If I was your friend and looked at your day or your week and I said and I'm like no human person can realistically do this day in and day out forever. I would sit down with you and we would talk about that. And are there tasks I can delegate or say no to? No to right now, no to whenever it happens, without feeling guilty. And then, kind of another question in these realistic questions is what boundaries do I need to put in place to protect my time, my energy and my well-being? Yeah, what is it? Is it sleep and at nine o'clock everything shuts down? Is it? I need a certain time during the day? What is that for you? Setting boundaries and realistic expectation isn't just important. It's essential for your long-term ability to care for your loved ones. And think about it long-term, because I know when I moved into caregiving I didn't even I just thought about the present. I never thought I would be sitting into going into my eighth year as a caregiver. I never, ever thought about it in those first few months and, oh my gosh, yeah, everything that could happen from a burnout perspective pretty much happened for me.

Speaker 1:

Now, if you're ever looking for some resources on boundaries or setting expectations, the two books that I recommend are just great resources to dive deeper into your personal boundary setting and your advocacy, meaning delegating resources. The first one is Boundary Boss by Terry Cole. It's a practical guide to understanding, setting and maintaining boundaries and healthy boundaries in all areas of your life and you may have to look at all of the areas of your life when you're, because caregiving is now part of that. The other one is I'm going to swear a little bit because that's what the book is about. It's called Badass Advocate. It's by Erin Mulqueen Gaylene, and it's a powerful resource to help you advocate for your loved one while staying empowered and grounded, and this book is really good about helping you identify different resources and teams and ideas to go ahead and delegate in helping you do that.

Speaker 1:

I also have another coaching program that I think would fit into this category, because if you're not going ahead and being realistic about how you're handling caregiving and you need help with your boundaries or building a team, I have a three-month transformation coaching program called the Empowerful Caregiver Coaching and if setting boundaries and managing expectations feel overwhelming, well, I'm here to help you. My friend, this program is designed to guide you through this process and really provide clarity and tools that you can go ahead and sustain, and just a really quick hit on it is we would identify the challenges that are holding you back and really digging deep into that, and then we would uncover opportunities to set boundaries and set realistic expectations. And then we would map out your clear, personalized plan to move forward, taking small steps so that you get small wins on this. And so I really feel that I've helped a lot of people with this piece and this would help you move forward on that. So that would be great too. Move forward on that. So that would be great too. Okay, let me see here once I'm looking at my notes and here I'm seeing something that does not look right. Oh, here we go.

Speaker 1:

Question number three why is this happening and what can I do about it? How many times have you said this? Well, I want you to ask this question. Let's talk about this third question. It's a big one that requires us to slow down, reflect and dig deep. It's not always easy to peel back the layers. I always think about peeling back the layers of an onion. When you're peeling an onion, think about how many layers there are in that onion, of what's happening in your caregiving journey and getting to the why you know this. But this is this kind of reflection is so necessary, because when we understand the root causes of our struggles, whether it's stress, resentment, feelings of stuck. If somebody comes to me and saying they're resentful, I want to get to the why for them. What's making you feel resentful? What are you noticing about yourself? What are the triggers? To get to the why. Instead of saying why, why, why? I go ahead and ask specific questions. We can start by taking some meaningful steps forward. I'll be the first to admit, though, that this is something I'm constantly working on.

Speaker 1:

There are moments when I feel like I can't I've got it figured out, and then, in a blink of an eye, I realize I'm avoiding the tough conversations or pushing down feelings that I need to address, and I go back to a lot of the examples with my mom, because my mom and I had a really great relationship, but she had some mental diseases that would really struggle for me, and I was a people pleaser. With my mom, I avoided the hard conversation about her. If you remember some of the podcast episodes about taking away her car, about her calling all the time and wanting me over there all the time, her comments that she would make to me about you know, her comments that she would make to me about you know where have you been? That kind of thing. I convinced myself it was easier to manage everything on my own rather than confront her about the things we needed to talk about. I would just fix it. I would just go ahead and take care of things and not go back to the root causes of her actions, her mindset, like if she was down in the dumps and really struggling, you know, and really depressed. I would just say, okay, I'm going to pick you up and we're going to go for a ride and we're going to do that. Well, once I did that I had to do it all the time, but avoiding those discussions only made things harder. Instead of helping her and figuring out what we needed to do to help her through some of her depression, some of her loneliness, I just went ahead and tried to fill the void. It built up frustration and even guilt that I carried around until I finally worked through it. I was resentful, I was angry at her, all of that too.

Speaker 1:

The truth is reflecting on the why behind our challenges can feel uncomfortable. It's like peeling an onion you uncover one layer only to find another beneath it, and sometimes it stings. Sometimes the onion makes you cry. But if you skip this step, those unresolved feelings can keep piling up, affecting your caregiving, affecting your relationship and your own well-being. So here are the questions that I want you to think about when you're thinking about this whole.

Speaker 1:

Question number three what's the biggest challenge I'm facing right now as a caregiver? What's the biggest challenge? Why do I think this challenge feels overwhelming? Have I avoided, or have I been avoiding, a difficult discussion or conversation or a decision, and what's holding me back from having those conversations or making the decision? What's one step, just one small step, I can take today to address this issue, even if it feels uncomfortable? Yeah, even if it feels uncomfortable.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think about the times that I would. I mean, this is minor, but it's something that really stressed me out. I'd walk into my mom's apartment and I wouldn't even get my jacket off. She wouldn't even say hi to me. She was saying I need this done and this done and this done. And here, look at this male and she would just she'd pounce on me and I would be like I didn't even want to walk in the door. So this is a work in progress.

Speaker 1:

Here's the thing None of us are perfect. None of us, our loved ones you, I Reflection and peeling back the layers of your why isn't something you figure out once and never have to revisit it? It's a constant work. Some days you'll feel like you're making great progress, other days it might feel like you're starting over, and that's okay. It's all about the part of the process and really this whole thing is why is this happening and what can I do about it? And, to be honest with you, it keeps you away from going down that spiral of the negative versus I'm feeling negative but I'm taking this positive approach to figure it out. It sucks, but I'm going to figure it out. It sucks, but I'm going to figure it out, okay. The next question is which is question number four is how am I managing my stress? This is a biggie.

Speaker 1:

As a caregiver or as caregiver, stress is inevitable and I've talked about this so so much. But it's something that's a constant thing, that for us, it comes with the role, but the key is to find tools and strategies to manage it before it leads to burnout. And if you're already feeling burnt out, it's never too late to course correct and take steps to recharge. Unchecked stress can creep into every part of our life your health, your relationships and even your ability to take care of your loved one. That's why it's important to pause, reflect and take action when it comes to managing your stress. Your body, your mind, everything is telling you that you're stressed, you know. That's why you feel the nerves. When you're ready to go ahead and jump out of an airplane, for example, that's a stress reaction. But it's also a stress reaction when you just feel like, okay, my stomach hurts or I have a headache, or I'm ready to blow up, or I'm shaking, whatever it would be. Your body tells you things. The good news is you don't have to figure this out on your own.

Speaker 1:

I've put together a collection of free resources on stress, and if you go out to kathylvancom forward slash resources, you're going to see the two resources right at the top. I have one to overcoming stress. But what I like about this resource? It talks about what are the symptoms of each of the three stages of stress, and then you can start working towards them. The second resource is the 17 shifts to managing stress. Now you don't have to use all 17, but there are 17 ideas out there that can help you already manage your stress. The whole idea is to find tools and make strategies that you can go ahead and do and taking small steps to overcoming them.

Speaker 1:

So, when you're thinking about how am I managing stress, I broke down four questions for you to ask yourself in this managing stress, what's my current level of stress on a scale of one to 10? And what's contributing to it? Now, like for me at the time of this recording, I've already went to Frederick Hospital, or at the time I'm recording this Monday, I'm going to Frederick Hospital, but you'll listen to this on Tuesday and I've already been back. But anyway, right now I have such anxiety and this anxiety and this anxiousness and this nerves about tomorrow or about the freighter visit, and so I know that my stress level is about one is one is bad, 10 is good. My stress level is about six. Right now I'm anxious and it's probably going to be lower than that when I go there. It's probably going to be lower than that when I go there, but I know what's contributing to it.

Speaker 1:

I'm not feeling overall good. I'm struggling with it. How am I currently coping with? Stress is another question. Are these strategies helping or hurting you? I'm an eater. I didn't realize this, but through my caregiving journey, I'll eat to go ahead, and it's sweets, it's sugars, that I will go ahead and I won't even notice that I've eaten five cookies already, you know, and I'll just go ahead and eat and eat and eat, to just try to go ahead and fill that void.

Speaker 1:

Another question is what's one thing I can do today to prioritize my rest and recharge my energy? What can I do right now, in the state that I'm in, knowing what the life is like right now? And then another question is am I reaching out to support when I need it or am I trying to carry everything on my own? Do you have a buddy that you can talk to about it? Do you have the resource that you can look at and what can you do? So, to conclude, the stress piece here is caregiver.

Speaker 1:

Stress isn't something you can completely eliminate, because stress is okay and it's healthy stress that we want to have. But if you have too much stress, it's like a backpack that you're carrying that's way too heavy and your shoulders and legs and back will start hurting. But it is something you can manage with the right tools, the right support and a mindset. Start small, choose one question from the list and take action. Remember your well-being isn't just important, it's essential to being the caregiver you want to be. You know, if you find that walking works for you to kind of let go of the stress, or if you do box breathing, what is it that's going to help you manage your stress? Okay, question number five. There's two questions left. Yes, okay, question number five. There's two questions left. What's my plan B? Ooh, this one kind of is like ooh, it makes you wake up.

Speaker 1:

Let's talk about the importance of having a plan B. As a caregiver, you already know that things can change in an instant. Whether it's a sudden ER visit, like I had a few weeks ago, or an unexpected setback, whether it's your loved one or you, or new challenges in your loved one's care. Having a backup plan and knowing your resources can make all the difference. Like I said, the question isn't just about being prepared. It's about gaining a peace of mind, about being prepared. It's about gaining a peace of mind Because when Dennis was recently in the ER, it reminded me how critical it is to have a plan in place, not just for emergencies, but for unexpected moments that caregiving brings.

Speaker 1:

You want to think of all of the things that run every single day and really start working on what would happen if I got sick. What would happen if we had to go to the ER right away. Am I planned, do I have it all ready? And so here's some questions. Do I have a clear plan B for unexpected situations like an emergency or sudden changes in my loved one's condition? I talk a lot about the grab and go bag. I talk a lot about having the medications he takes handy. You know all of those things. Do I have a backup plan for the dogs and the house, that kind of thing? What resources can I tap into for support? Family, friends, professionals, organizations? Do I have all the phone numbers handy on my phone so that if I need help at a drop of a pen can I call somebody?

Speaker 1:

Another thing is, if I couldn't provide care for a day or a week or longer, who could step in to help? I've had several of these situations happen to me. One is when Dennis had his first stem cell transplant. I got influenza and I couldn't go to his stem cell transplant consult and so I relied on my son, matt, to go with. Or I was in the hospital with COVID for a week and terribly, terribly sick. Who was going to take care of mom. Who was going to take care of all of that, and I learned a lot from that. I had my brother help, but there were a lot of things that my mom was worried about and she asked me to get out of the hospital to take care of them and I couldn't even seriously, I couldn't even be on the phone call for like two minutes.

Speaker 1:

Another question is am I keeping important information organized and accessible in the event of an emergency the medical records, the contacts, the care instructions and all the medications in the event of an emergency? Do I have all of those handy? Because when I was in the ER with Dennis, they went through every single possible thing and questions that I needed to answer and luckily, 99.9% of them I had right in my fingertips. There are a few where I was searching for, but otherwise most of them I knew and it's so important to go ahead and have those handy of them I knew and it's so important to go ahead and have those handy, so building long-term confidence. You can do this anytime, but this is a good time If you're doing it like you kind of set your calendar. Once every three months you can say what have I done, asking yourself these questions can help you gain valuable insights and a sense of control, even in unpredictable times. If thinking about this feels overwhelming, know that you're not alone. I'm here to guide you through the process of long-term and resource building, and I can help you work together on a personalized plan that gives you clarity, peace of mind and confidence that you need to, whatever caregiving throws at you.

Speaker 1:

Okay, the last question that you want to assess yourself on is what am I grateful for? You know, this is one of my favorite ones. It's the glue. Gratitude is the glue that holds so much together in your caregiving journey, in my caregiving journey. For me it's been a lifeline, saving me from the depths of caregiving stress and grounded me when life feels chaotic and caregiving isn't easy and some days it can feel downright overwhelming. I'm just preaching to the choir here, right? But practicing gratitude has this incredible way of shifting your perspective. It doesn't ease the challenges, but it helps you to see the good that's still present, the small wins, the small thank you, the love, the moments that matter. Gratitude has been an anchor, my daily reset in a journal and a way to find joy, even on the hardest days.

Speaker 1:

So here's some things that you want to ask yourself if this is one that you feel like you're not meeting the mark on. What's one thing I can be grateful for today, no matter how small, and what's another question what moments of joy, connection or peace can I hold on to from this past week? Another question is how can I create space to appreciate the good, even during the busiest days? I had to go ahead and journal each and every day five things that I'm grateful for, or before I go to bed, you know, let's go ahead and reflect on the day and what things went well, what am I grateful for, and things that just you had to think through. And the last question to think about here is how does focusing on gratitude change the way I feel about my caregiving journey? Has it helped you? Is it helping you through your process? Because why gratitude matters is gratitude isn't just a feel good practice. It's a stress management tool. It keeps you connected to the positive aspects of your life and reminds you why you're showing up every day for your loved one. And the best part, gratitude is always available, no matter how tough the day has been. You know I created this Facebook group private Facebook group for our close family and friends for Dennis's journey and it's amazing to be able to see the gratitude in the family and friends that are posting inspirational quotes, that are making comments about them. We've created t-shirts that we're calling ourselves Dennis's Support Squad, so some people have bought t-shirts and they're showing their t-shirts and where they're at, and those are all positive things that we're just kind of grasping onto.

Speaker 1:

If you haven't already started or you haven't already journaled, you know, think about maybe having a journal by your bed before you go to bed at night or a journal by your coffee pot in the morning. And gratitude, one thing, two things. I do five right right now because the one and the two are easy. But when you dig deeper, like I was grateful for the sunshine, I'm grateful for you know the gentleman that opened the door for me. I'm grateful for you know the text that I got from a friend. But when I have to think deeper, I have to really dig deeper Each day. You want to get really deep into those things.

Speaker 1:

So these are the five questions that I wanted to share with you, but taking the time to go through these questions doesn't have to be overwhelming either. I want to make sure you know that this isn't just another thing you have to do. Maybe you just pick one each day and you know for the week, and you just go through it in your head and you're just like, okay, what am I practicing? Gratitude, where are opportunities for me to change and add more? That kind of thing. It might take just a few minutes sometimes for you, if you're in a good season or things are going better or if you're feeling reflective a little more time.

Speaker 1:

The key is to make it a consistent practice. My encouragement is maybe you set a reminder or book your calendar a time on your calendar each month or every three months, or especially when a new season is, and you revisit these questions for yourself, all the questions in this week's blog, and I'll have this in the show notes. You're going to run over head over. To not run, but go over to kathylvancom forward slash blog, dash 247. That's the episode number today to find them in there. I would love to hear from you and hit that text, kathy, a message button, and tell me which question resonated the most with you or felt the most important to you. Maybe it's the one that you need to work on. Maybe it's the one that you've been working on now and you're just like, okay, this is going to help me get over the edge. Remember your feedback. Feedback not only helps, but it also inspires others who are navigating this same journey.

Speaker 1:

When you text me, I don't get your phone number. Just so you know, a lot of people are afraid to give out their phone number. It's a program that all it does is it brings up it goes XXXXX and it's your last four digits of your number and it tells you where the cell phone was purchased at or located at. I don't know anything more about it unless you give me your name. So it's really confidential and so if I do share that on the podcast and in a podcast episode, if you share your name, I will share it. If there's no name on there, I will just tell everybody. This is one of the texts I received, so I just want you to know.

Speaker 1:

A lot of people are concerned about their privacy lately, so let's just quick review the questions that I went through today. The six questions is how am I prioritizing my self-care? Question number two am I being realistic about what I can handle? Question number three is why is this happening and what can I do about it. We all ask ourselves why, yeah. Number four is how am I managing my stress right now? Number five is what's my plan B or my long-term plan? Number six is what am I grateful for today? So by revisiting these questions, you're going to get some clarity.

Speaker 1:

The caregiving journey, it's a job you never trained for. I don't think we've ever trained for it. The caregiving role that most of us didn't expect or prepare for, let alone receive any training to navigate on. Then add in the challenges, the stress, the emotional weight, and it's easy for you and I to feel overwhelmed. But this practice really is the pause to reflect and assess where you're at practice can help you measure your current state, identify small, meaningful steps to create a more balanced caregiving life. Even one shift can make a difference, whether it's setting a boundary, embracing gratitude or reaching out for support. These small changes can build momentum towards a caregiver life that feels more manageable and fulfilling.

Speaker 1:

Now, if you know me, I hate the word you got it. I hate when somebody says, oh, you got it. But I'm going to break that word down into what people really mean when they say you got it, which doesn't put me on the defensive now at all. When I read this, what I want to tell you is you are stronger and more capable than you realize, and I'm here to support you is you are stronger and more capable than you realize, and I'm here to support you every step of the way.

Speaker 1:

Just know that, whether it's through coaching, whether it's through my resources or whether it's through encouragement on this podcast, you don't have to do this alone, my friend. Let's work together to make caregiving not just something you manage, but something that allows you to grow, connect and thrive. I want you to show up as the best person that you can be in this caregiving journey. You know, and when you look back at it, I want you to be proud of the person that you were during that time, recognizing that you struggled, but recognizing that you also thrived in this journey as well. And that's why I call this the caregiver cup, because in order to thrive and grow in this, you have to continue to fill your cup and make sure your cup is continuously filled so that you can show up as the best person that you can be. So happy new year, my friend, and, as always, we'll see you again next week. Bye for now.